


Damaged Goods

by HazelDomain



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Castiel/Omega Dean Winchester, Alpha Ruts, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bottom Castiel, Bottom Dean, Doctor Dean Winchester, Drugged Sex, F/M, Force-Feeding, M/M, Marriage of Convenience, Medical Procedures, Multi, Pimp abuse, Prostitute Castiel, Prostitution, Soulmates Castiel & Dean Winchester, Top Castiel, True Mates, priapism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-11 19:36:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9007867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazelDomain/pseuds/HazelDomain
Summary: Cas's ruts are coming more often than they should. He can't really get too upset about it, though; his regulars are lined up out the door, and it's been a long time since he was worth anything more than his knot.





	1. Chapter 1

Castiel woke up hot and shaky, a sticky sweat clinging to his body. The bedside clock said two-thirty, which meant his shift wasn’t starting for another three hours.

There was no reason to be up, but it only took him a minute to realize there was no way he was going back to sleep. Growling, he rose up onto his elbows and punched the pillow, just for good measure. His senses were strung too tight. Everything from the cotton pills on the sheets to the citrus scent of the maid’s soap was making him antsy and frustrated.

He rolled out of bed, naked as usual, and stumbled into the shower.

The cool water washed away the sweat, but not the irritation. Runnels swept over his body, bubbles of shampoo catching in the hair on his belly. He was almost reluctant to wipe them away. A single swipe of his hand across his chest and he’d be rock-hard, desperate to knot the next warm thing to come near him.

He sighed.

He knew what this was.

He always made good money during his ruts, but this was the second one this month. He was only supposed to have four of them in a _year._

He thought of the omegas he’d come to recognize as regulars- the ones who prized his ruts and the single-minded determination he possessed while under their influence. These were omegas that paid to feel _wanted,_ and there was no deception to be had from an alpha in rut. They were stupid, rough beasts, damn near incapable of higher reasoning.

Castiel sighed, shutting off the water. Thinking of his work was having exactly the effect he’d been hoping to avoid by refusing to touch himself.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and sank down onto the bed. The air felt humid and thick. He picked up the receiver on the bedside table.

“Hello Castiel,” a voice answered. It hadn’t even had time to ring. “What can I get for you?”

“A coffee and a grapefruit,” Cas muttered. He wasn’t sure he could even keep the fruit down. “And tell Naomi I’m going into a rut.”

There was silence on the line. The receptionist- Cas was pretty sure her name was Ruby- sounded hesitant when she spoke again.

“Are you sure?”  
“I know what the fuck a rut feels like,” Cas snapped, and dropped the receiver back on the cradle. Almost instantly he felt bad. Ruby was all right, and his shitty mood wasn’t her fault.

He stood again, groaning and running a hand through his hair. He moved to the window, throwing the blackout curtains to the side and pushing the glass panel ajar. The afternoon sunlight streamed in, accompanied by a cool breeze that did little to soothe Castiel’s discomfort.

_Mate._

His cock thickened again, and he palmed it absently. Jerking off would be counterproductive at this point. He should save it for this evening, and in any case, releasing into his palm wouldn’t satisfy the rut. He needed a warm body, the scent of an omega, a pliant-

There was a knock on the door. Castiel was across the room in four strides. It wasn’t big; he slept here, and not much else. He pulled open the door to reveal another of the attendants.

Meg thrust a tray at him, not even raising an eyebrow at his choice of attire. She’d seen him in less. They all had.

The scent of omega flooded his senses, and he took the tray from her with a sly smile.

“Care to stay a while?”

He angled his body, his intentions clear. Meg laughed.

“Naomi would have my ass, Clarence. I’m not risking my job just to sample the goods.”

“ _Again_ ,” Cas reminded her, raising an eyebrow. He shifted again and the towel slid off his hips, onto the ground. Meg didn’t even glance down.

“Not on a rut day, in any case. Save it for the clients, loverboy.”

She turned on her heel and strode back down the hallway. Castiel watched her go.

The other doors were all closed; most likely, the others would be asleep a few more hours.

Cas took the tray back into his room, setting it on the small nightstand. He considered calling Ruby back to apologize for snapping at her, but even as he thought of it, the phone rang.

He flicked it up on the second ring.

“Yeah?”

“Castiel.”

It was Naomi. For a moment Cas thought she might be worried. Two ruts in a month was a little much; but she carried on without any seeming concern. “Can you start early tonight? Ruby double-booked you and your schedule was already busy before the rut.”

Cas looked over at the coffee and fruit slices.

“Give me fifteen minutes.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

The omega looked up at him through glistening blue eyes.

“No,” he whispered, “no, _please-_ ”

Castiel growled, driving hard into the man’s slick hole. Heels dug into the small of his back, the omega rocking up to take his knot.

“Gonna breed you up so good,” he murmured into the omega’s ear, and the man whimpered. One of his hands was pinned to the mattress, but Cas had left the other free. He knew this game. The omega took hold of his own cock, stroking it in time with Castiel’s thrusts.

“Pretty little omega,” Cas crooned, his teeth nipping against the stranger’s throat. “Look so good on my knot. You know you love it.”

“Nooo,” the omega moaned, but his forehead was furrowed and he wasn’t far from his climax. Cas slowed, drawing it out.

“Gonna come on my knot, sweetheart?”

“Nnnn,” the omega protested, but Cas could feel the tension as the omega’s hole tightened around him. He sped up, pushing in harder until he felt the omega release over his own belly.

Cas pulled out just in time, his fingers tightening around the ring already holding the base of his cock. It had been a long time since he’d accidentally tied a client, and he took regular precautions to make sure it didn’t happen again. After they came, omegas wanted to shower and leave; they didn’t want fifteen minutes of obligatory cuddling.

It took everything he had, when he was in the middle of a rut, but he did it. Every instinct he had told him to pin the omega back to the bed and fill him with seed. The man’s throat was already marked- he had his own alpha at home- but nonetheless Cas yearned to overwrite it, make his own mark on that skin.

“You’re good at that, you know,” the omega said, sitting up. There was a basket of warm towels beside the bed and Cas passed one over.

When he’d finished, the omega left the towel on the bed, standing and crossing to the bathroom without bothering to redress.

Castiel hesitated, waiting to see if the client indicated a desire for company.

When the water kicked on without any signal, Castiel turned his attentions back to the bed. After the client left, he’d strip the bedding and drop it into the chute hidden behind a segment of paneling. There were a dozen sets of clean linens- nicer than the ones Castiel slept on, despite the frequent washing. The facility had a full time laundry staff, making sure that the rooms were always stocked with scentless sheets.

Cas cleaned himself off, getting every hint of the omega’s slick off his skin. When the next client came into his room, there would be nothing but the scent of rutting alpha.

They had no illusions of exclusivity. Cas was a whore; he knew that. He’d probably end up fucking two dozen omegas before the night was up. One or two of them would want him to climax, but that was it.

Cas’s hair stood on end as he pictured the next client, imagined the scent of slick and the heat of their body-

The door slammed.

Cas hadn’t even realized he was zoning out. He shook his head, trying to remember if the omega had said anything as he’d left.

He couldn’t remember.

In any case, there was a folded twenty on the dresser by the door, so if the omega had been offended, he’d gotten over it quickly.

Cas hurriedly swept the money into the top drawer with the rest of his tips, and turned his attention back to the bed.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

“ _Please,_ Amelia,” Cas begged. He didn’t know whether it was her real name or not. Some of his clients used a pseudonym. Some of his coworkers, too. It made sense for them- they had families to go home to, or they were working to put themselves through school. Someday they’d have a degree and they wanted a clean name on it.

Castiel used his own name. It was easier to keep track of. In any case, it had been a long time since he’d been good for anything except a quick fuck.

“Beg for it, slut,” the woman whispered in his ear, and Castiel keened. He could feel his heart beating in his cock. He was blindfolded, but if he could see, he knew it would be a dark, swollen red.

Amelia straddled his belly, her slick shining across his skin as she rode him. He could feel her fingers, feel her pleasuring herself, and he groaned, arching up into her.

“ _God,_ I want to be inside you,” Cas rasped. If he twisted right, the head of his cock brushed against the small of her back. He repeated the motion, desperate for the stimulation. She leaned forward again, nipping at the underside of his bound arm.

“How long has it been, Castiel?”

“F-four hours,” he stammered, trying to count the time. His head felt foggy. He arched again, but it was no use.

“Poor thing,” Amelia crooned. Her fingers were soaked, working her clit as she undulated above him. “And what about later? Who’s next, baby?”

“N- new guy. Half hour slot.”

“Think he’ll want to be knotted?”

“No,” Castiel groaned. The thought of another half hour like this was agony. “Please, Amelia, I want you so fucking bad-“

“Who’ll let you come next, whore?”

Castiel whimpered. He checked off reservations in his head.

“Two- two hours. Maybe three.”

In a rut, six hours without coming was damn near a medical emergency. Castiel could already feel his mind clouding over. It would take every ounce of willpower he had not to lose himself in the next client.

“You’re gonna be so _fucking_ desperate,” Amelia moaned. Her fingers were moving faster now. Cas was taut beneath her, his body yearning to find release.

They didn’t smell like home- in all the hundreds of omegas, Cas had never found his mate. Maybe he didn’t have one- lots of people didn’t.

But it made it easier to pull out, to let them walk away.

It got harder with each passing rut- he’d gotten two a month for the last… three? Four?

He couldn’t remember.

Amelia came hard, collapsing onto Cas’s chest in a panting heap.

Cas closed his eyes.

 

~~~~~~~

 

“Run away with me,” Cas murmured, and the omega laughed. She had a high voice; he liked it when she smiled.

He could see himself mated to her. Her eyes were a dark chestnut and he always looked forward to her visits.

“I think my husband might object to that.”

She raised her chin, showing off her mark. Cas growled playfully, leaning down to nip at it.

“Beta markings,” he grumbled. “I could do one better.”

For a moment, he hesitated, his teeth brushing over the light scar. He could _feel_ the resistance of the muscle there- he could break the skin, he _knew_ he could-

He pulled back, looking down at her.

“I love you,” he said. She blushed and looked away, and he repeated himself.

For a moment he even believed it.

“You’re beautiful,” he told her, and that much was completely true. His knot was buried inside her, swollen to keep his seed trapped inside. If they were mates, the scent of his rut would send her into a heat, and Castiel’s child would grow within her belly.

But she wasn’t his mate. She wasn’t in a heat and in any case, she took suppressants to keep from being impregnated- by anyone.

They were playing at it now, Castiel nuzzling at her throat and chest, praising her and telling her how much she was cherished. Maybe in another life, if he were someone else, he might have had a mate like this.

When his knot had gone down, they showered together in the extra-large stall. She stood with her fingers laced behind her neck, moaning as Castiel worshipped her naked body. He went over every inch of her skin, licking his spend from between her legs, letting the hot water flow over their bodies.

The usual soap had a scent blocker in it, but she brought her own, and by the time he’d finished rubbing the net sponge over her, they both smelled like a combination of vanilla and alpha rut.

At the door, he kissed her goodbye, telling her to be careful on the way home.

She’d wait in the car another half an hour, he knew. The lock had barely clicked shut behind her when the closet door opened, and her husband stepped out.

Castiel didn’t have to look to know that the beta was grinning at him. Instead, he simply turned and dropped to his knees.

“She’s fucking perfect, isn’t she?” the beta asked him, and Castiel nodded. He opened his mouth, keeping still when the beta’s fingers tightened in his hair. He wasn’t gentle, but Castiel didn’t mind. He was used to it by now.

He had more than one beta with a cuckold fetish.

There was nothing quite like fucking the alpha who’d just fucked your wife.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

There was someone….

Someone was in the bathroom. Or they’d just left the bathroom.

Castiel looked at the bed. The sheets were rumpled. He needed to change them. Or… or he just _had_ …

He closed his eyes, trying to focus. Someone was talking. Maybe to him.

He looked at the dresser. The wood top was bare.

He couldn’t remember who’d left last.

“Are you _kidding_ me?”

Cas blinked, turning back towards the door. No one was there.

The light in the bathroom was off. Which meant… which meant…

“He needs a _doctor!_ ”

Woman’s voice. No scent to go with it.

Cas looked back to the bed, drawing in a deep breath.

No omega scent. No scent of his own come.

His cock was hard, but that meant nothing. Damn thing was always hard now, even after he came, his knot would go down and he’d still be hard.

It seemed like this rut had gone on _forever_ -

“No I will _not_ keep my voice down! You let me in or I’ll-”

Cas walked to the door, pulling it open and staring into the hallway. One of the security agents glanced at him and he realized he was naked. Again. Or still.

There were two of them, big guys, betas, but the woman was an omega.

Castiel recognized her even before he got her scent, she’d been in to see him before, she was one of his regulars, every rut she’d-

The scent hit him like a maul, crushing into his chest until he couldn’t breathe.

_Heat._

_She was in heat._

“Castiel!” she exclaimed, and relief washed across her face.

Cas reached her in two steps, cupping his hands beneath her thighs and _lifting_ her as he pinned her to the wall.

“Cas! Stop it, you need help-”

Cas growled, his fingers tightening. She was still talking but he couldn’t hear. He didn’t care. The omega in his arms was fertile and unmarked and he was going to _have_ her-

She shoved back at him, beating against his chest and screaming, but he was easily stronger than her. He crushed his mouth down onto hers, muffling her voice. He let her weight rest against the wall, supporting her with one thigh so he could tear at the front of her blouse.

Something in the back of his mind worried him… this wasn’t the way it usually went. Plenty of omegas liked to fight back, but not usually in the _hallway_ … not in front of the _staff…_

Something sharp jabbed into his naked shoulder and he turned, snarling. The guard behind him looked terrified- he wasn’t nearly as large as Castiel, and a beta to boot. Castiel had just enough time to register the black plastic box in the guard’s hand before the trigger was pulled and a million volts flowed across his body.

He fell to the ground, seizing, and the world went dark.

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

“I’m not saying you can’t go pro,” Dean sighed, “just that you’re never gonna get the chance if you don’t wear pads.”

He twisted the forceps, letting the curved needle pierce the edges of the young man’s jagged laceration. Fortunately (or unfortunately) the area was completely numb, leaving the omega with little idea of how many stitches Dean had actually put in.

“The helmet messes with my peripherals,” the kid grumbled, trying to look up at Dean even as one of the nurses tried to hold him still. “With the face mask it’s even worse.”

“There isn’t a helmet on the market that’ll mess you up as bad as a brain bleed,” Dean chided. He glanced at the door, then the nurse. The call about the feral alpha had come in nearly nine minutes ago, which meant he had about _two_ to get his ass out of dodge. He was on full scent blockers as a matter of course, but an AGF was nothing to be trifled with- particularly since there were two beta doctors on staff tonight anyway.

“Can’t I get, like, a prescription that says I don’t need to wear any?” the athlete was asking him, and Dean had to pause and run the question through his mind a few times. It kept coming back the same way.

“What am I gonna prescribe you that’ll protect against _impact trauma-”_ Dean started to ask, but he never got to hear the omega’s answer because at that moment the doors burst open and a pair of EMTs pushed a gurney through the entryway. The cold outside air billowed through the ER, carrying the scent of vehicle exhaust and wet concrete and-

Dean froze, turning slowly to watch the passing gurney. He didn’t get a good look at the patient- the man was strapped down beneath a heavy blanket, leaving only his face and bare shoulders visible- but the scent…

“Doctor Winchester?” the nurse asked, and Dean shook his head, trying to snap out of it.

“Can you put the last two sutures in?” he asked, turning back to her. Her brow furrowed in confusion, but she nodded.

“Thanks,” he said hastily, before turning to follow the gurney.

The EMT looked surprised when Dean dropped in beside him, looking anxiously down at the alpha.

“What have you got?” Dean demanded, but the EMT shook his head.

“We got it, Dean. He’s an AGF, let Crowley handle it.”

Dean scowled. Crowley was a good doctor, but he was also a brash elitist with very little patience for those he considered below him. Hormone-addled alphas were practically the top demographic on that list.  

“I’m free, Garth. What’s the story?”

The tech paused, considered, and passed over the chart.

“Picked him up at a ruttery downtown. Folks there said he crossed an omega in heat and lost it. Fortunately someone had a tazer and was able to take him down before he could do any damage.”

Dean scanned the chart, frowning.

“Why would anyone go to a ruttery in the middle of a heat? I’m surprised we don’t have half a dozen ferals in here.”

If Garth had an answer, he never got to share it. The alpha on the gurney surged awake, a deep growl escaping his throat. He quickly discovered the restraints and thrashed against them, his bloodshot eyes darting across the faces above him.

“You’ve already administered pacimenticol?” Dean confirmed, staring wide-eyed at the snapping alpha.

“About as much as we could possibly give him,” Garth confirmed. Dean didn’t miss the way his fingers inched along the metal bedframe, away from the alpha’s teeth.

“How long ago?”

“As soon as we picked him up.”

Dean frowned. The alpha was big, but not big enough that the hormone suppressant would have difficulty affecting him. Even in the middle of a rut, he should be pulling out of his feral state by now.

They reached the containment ward, pushing the gurney into one of the rooms. It was plain, painted cement, and the metal furniture was bolted to the ground. The bed was outfitted with thick straps, more than capable of restraining even the most desperate alpha.

“Gonna need some help in here!” Dean shouted into the hallway. He scanned the people in the vicinity, looking for someone big. His eye landed on a nurse he knew well. “Benny, you free?”

The beta nodded.

“Yeah, I gotcha.”

“Good, bring a muzzle.”

Between the four of them, they managed to get the thick bit between the alpha’s jaws. With the risk of a bite mitigated, it was much easier to transfer him from the rolling gurney to the bed.

Dean’s mind raced even as the struggling alpha flailed against his grip. This was undoubtedly a feral state. The alpha’s eyes were tinged with red and his pointed canines had extended past their resting position. This alpha was fighting for his mate, or to defend his territory… and neither of those things applied here.

So what was driving him into it, and why wasn’t the pacimenticol pulling him out?

The blanket was discarded in the move, giving Dean his first opportunity to examine his patient. The alpha was naked, but that wasn’t unusual. Lots of ambulance arrivals came in more-or-less undressed.

He also had a _massive_ erection, though that wasn’t particularly unusual, either. Alphas in ruts were notoriously easy to arouse, though…

Dean leaned in, scenting the alpha more closely.

He smelled like alpha of course, and like a rut, and like…

Like _home._

Dean blinked, setting that fact aside. Even if the alpha smelled perfect, hell, even if the alpha was his damn _truemate,_ he was primarily a patient and Dean owed him a professional examination.

The alpha didn’t smell aroused. There was no sign of that whatsoever. He was desperate, a little frightened, and right in the thick of a rut, but there was no arousal there at all.

Dean glanced back to the alpha’s cock, very carefully not noting the size or the way the head formed a thick ridge around the shaft-

It was also very dark, a deep red verging on purple, and as Dean looked at it, he had a sinking suspicion.

He sought out a pair of latex gloves and returned to the bed, where Benny and Garth were finishing with the restraints. Reassuring himself that this was a complete medical necessity, Dean took hold of the alpha’s cock, stroking upwards _once._

The alpha roared, and as Dean suspected, his scent gained a tang of pain, not arousal.

Dean sighed.

“Benny, I’m gonna need a blood panel. I think he’s taken something and I need to know what it is. In the meantime, I’m pretty certain we’re looking at a case of priapism here and I’m gonna handle that before it gets worse.”

Benny looked sympathetically at the immobilized man on the bed.

Dean glanced back to Garth.

“Before you go, that omega, the one that he attacked- what happened to them?”

Garth shrugged.

“They might have made a police report, other than that, I don’t know.”

Dean nodded, looking back to the addled alpha. Benny was already laying out the vials for the blood panel. Dean sighed.

“I’ve got it from here. Tell ‘em to send me some methyline blue, will you?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not a doctor but I have seen every single episode of House so I'm pretty sure this is how hospitals work. 
> 
> Also I forgot to link to the original prompt: http://spnkink-meme.livejournal.com/113143.html?thread=41643511#t41643511  
> (Spoiler: Cas ends up with Dean. Unprecedented, I know.) 
> 
> They didn't ask for like, any of the things that happened in this chapter but sometimes things happen that the author didn't plan for and this is one of those things. Priapism. Yay.
> 
> Also merry christmas and shit.


	3. Chapter 3

Castiel blinked at the ceiling. 

It wasn’t his ceiling. It wasn’t the ceiling in the room where he worked, or the room where he slept. He knew them both intimately. 

The room smelled like disinfectant and frustrated alphas. Some betas had been here recently, but no omegas. He didn’t think he was anywhere near an omega. 

Not at work, then. 

He tried to sit up, only to realize that he was strapped down. He flexed his hands, finding that they, too, were immobilized. 

“Can you understand me?” 

Castiel’s head jerked to the side, a snarl almost escaping his mouth when he realized someone was sitting right beside him. He inhaled deeply but sure enough, the man had no scent whatsoever. He waved very slowly. 

“Nod if you understand what I’m saying.”

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, only it was already open. Confused, he worked his jaw- something firm but pliant was secured between his teeth. 

“The paramedic was worried he was going to lose a finger,” the scentless man intoned. Castiel looked at him and nodded. 

“That’s a yes, then? You understand me?” 

Castiel nodded again. 

“Alright. The muzzle can come off, then. Lean forward.”

Cas complied, letting the man manipulate the buckle at the nape of his neck. Within seconds, the man was removing what looked like a silicone face mask. 

“My name is Doctor Winchester,” the man told him. 

“Castiel Novak,” Cas answered. 

“Is that your real name or your working name?” 

“Both.” 

“Hmm. Ever had a feral episode before, Castiel?” 

Cas was taken aback. 

“No, never. Is that what happened here-?” 

“As far as I can tell, yeah.” The doctor held up a clipboard. It was covered in lines of text, some of which were highlighted. “Though it’s pretty hard to tell with the results I’m getting here.” 

Cas squinted, trying to read any of the text on the page. His memory was beginning to come back. He remembered pain, fighting through pain, trying to get to-

He groaned, shutting his eyes and collapsing back onto the bed. 

“Amanda,” he rasped, thinking of the hallway. He could still feel a tenderness in his chest where she’d struck him. “Please tell me I haven’t done anything unforgivable.” 

“It’s a little late for that now, isn’t it?” the doctor answered. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know the side effects when you took this stuff. Not only did you put the people around you in danger, but you very nearly lost your dick in the process.” 

Castiel searched his broken memory, trying to remember what he’d taken. He wasn’t a stranger to recreational pharmaceuticals, but he couldn’t remember a client giving him anything…

“I don’t remember,” he conceded at last, turning his head toward the doctor. “I’m sorry.” 

He could feel the remnants of his rut, curled in his belly like a snake. The more lucid he became, the more it hissed. He should get back to work, anything to take the edge off. 

He tried to sit up, only to be reminded of the restraints. 

“I’m not kidding,” the doctor said. He made no move toward the padded cuffs. “I get that you’re probably making great money, but your body can’t take this in the long run.” 

Castiel closed his eyes. He could remember the feeling of Amanda’s body, pressed against his in the dim hallway. She’d fought but there were others waiting… his rut wasn’t over…

“I’ll check my client log and figure out what I took,” Cas promised, jerking at the cuffs. “People bring party favors sometimes. I’m not on anything for the ‘long run.’” 

“I’m not talking about recreational drugs, I’m talking about the alphesterone you’re using to trigger the ruts. It’s meant for people whose bodies won’t go into a rut on their own. For someone like you, it was only a matter of time before this happened.” The doctor fixed him with a level stare, seemingly not noticing his confusion. 

“‘M not taking anything like that,” Castiel protested. “Will you get these off? I gotta go back to work.” 

The doctor shook his head. 

“I’ll uncuff you, but you’re not leaving this ward until the rest of this stuff has cleared your system. We can’t risk having you go feral again.”

“So I’ll carry a paci-pen,” Castiel protested. He couldn’t stay here, in this sterile-smelling room, with nobody but the scentless doctor. “We already have one in every room as a safety precaution.” 

“You’re not hearing me,” the doctor said, exasperated. “A paci-pen is designed to be effective and safe on an alpha whose body is functioning  _ normally. _ Like yours was before you pumped yourself full of rut hormones. We gave you the maximum legal dosage of pacimenticol and it  _ still _ took you two hours to regain lucidity. That’s  _ fifteen _ paci-pen’s worth.” 

Cas blinked at him. He’d never heard of a paci-pen  _ failing.  _

“I’m not taking hormones,” he said again. The doctor turned the clipboard around, holding it out so Castiel could see better. 

“That’s not what it says here. The synthetic alphesterone outnumbers your natural production four to one.”

Cas stared, trying to make sense of the words he was seeing. They were long and complicated and had a lot of y’s in them. The doc sighed. 

“Look. We get a lot of people in here from your line of work. I know it isn’t easy and I ain’t judging. Really. Alphesterone’s a controlled substance so I’ve  _ got _ to report this. But if the omega doesn’t press charges, you aren’t in any trouble. We can get you help, there’s rehab and if you’re short on cash there’s-”

“I’m not  _ taking _ any!” Castiel snarled, and suddenly his vision was tinged with red. “I don’t give a fuck if you  _ judge _ me, asshole, I wanna know how that shit  _ got  _ there!” 

The doctor frowned. 

“You’re coming to the end of a rut right now, right?” 

Cas fell back onto the pillow, staring at the ceiling and counting back days. It was surprisingly hard to keep track. 

“I think so? Yeah.” 

“And when was your last rut before that?” 

Cas tried counting back again, but it got fuzzy. There wasn’t much to differentiate his days. Omegas, room service, sleep. 

“Fourth of July, maybe?”

The doc nodded. 

“That was two weeks ago. How about before that?” 

Cas tried to think again, but the timeline slipped through his fingers like sand. 

“Dunno.” 

“Was it hot?”

Cas snorted. 

“‘S always hot, in a rut.” 

But the more he thought about it… he remembered the air conditioner, the way the cool air brushed his naked skin and took some of the discomfort away. 

“... yeah. I think it was.” 

The doctor nodded. 

“The longer you take this stuff, the more frequently the ruts will come. If you’re having them four times a month, my guess is that it’s been more than a year.” 

Cas tried to process that information, tried to fit in in against something he knew. It didn’t work. He didn’t even  _ care, _ particularly. So what if he was rutting four times a month? He was useful during a rut. And if it destroyed his body, well, it’s not like he was using it for much else anyway. 

“‘M not taking hormones,” he said again. 

“Well there’s an easy test. It’s gonna take at least two weeks for these to clear your system. If they’re coming from an external source, you’ll be back to normal hormone production within that timeframe. And if they’re coming from inside your body, we should see no change in the output. You’ll go into two more ruts and we’ll probably have to start talking about surgical solutions.” 

Castiel groaned. He couldn’t stay here for two weeks. He needed to go back to his clients, back to the warm heat of their bodies and the way they welcomed him-

“I can’t,” he begged, imploring the doctor. “I can’t stay here alone for two weeks. Please.” 

The doc looked startled, and Castiel had a moment of hope. 

“You won’t be alone. The nurses will come to check on you, and of course you’re allowed visitors.” 

The doctor stood, leaning over Castiel as he loosened the restraints. 

“You seem calm enough for the moment, but these will go back on if it looks like you’re in danger of another feral episode.”

Castiel wasn’t listening. 

Visitors. Right. Like anyone was going to come visit him. He didn’t know of any clients with a medical kink, and even if he did, he doubted that the weird, scentless Doctor Winchester would let him do anything about it. 

Maybe one of the nurses then? 

He wasn’t even going to ask for anything in return, it would be enough just to  _ be _ with one of them. 

The doctor pulled back the blanket covering his body, and Cas saw that beneath it were the straps and beneath that, he was naked. It made sense- he hadn’t been wearing clothes when he’d gone feral. 

The doc took pains not to touch him, but even so, the light pressure against his skin as the buckles released was enough to send blood rushing to his cock. 

He blinked. 

“It’s blue,” he said, a little dumbly. He imagined he saw a blush rise on the doctor’s face.

“You don’t remember that, then,” he said, avoiding Cas’s questioning gaze. “That’s probably for the better.”

“Why is it blue?” 

“Methyline blue. It’s uh, it’s an alpha-agonist injected into the corpus cavernosum as a remedy for ischemic priapism, which you presented with when I first examined you…” 

The doctor was getting redder. Castiel continued to stare, hoping that the man would lapse back into English. 

“Basically your dick wouldn’t go down and I had to force it to detumesce before you got permanent tissue damage. I’ve seen that before and it’s, uh… it’s not pretty.” 

Castiel looked down at his slowly hardening cock. 

“Is it going to…  _ stay _ blue?” he asked at last. The doctor finished with the last of the restraints and stepped back quickly. 

“No. Um. Maybe for a day or so. But uh, I’ll leave you alone and you should, um, take care of that…” the doc gestured toward Castiel’s waist, keeping his eyes firmly elsewhere. “And if it’s still there in four hours you need to call me. Or a nurse. Or anyone. Not necessarily me. But it might be me. It depends… um. There’s a button…” 

He gestured to the call button. Castiel didn’t look at it. He was watching the doctor, wondering if the man was having some kind of episode. 

Winchester stammered his goodbyes and damn near fled the room, leaving Castiel alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made up half these medication names. Hopefully they make sense in context.


	4. Chapter 4

 

“Keep Becky out of that room,” Dean snapped. Benny narrowed his eyes. 

“She’s on next shift, brother. Not sure what you want me to do about it.” 

“Put in a request with the head nurse. Becky  _ cannot _ go in there.” 

He was supposed to have gone home two hours ago, and the delay was making itself manifest in the form of a headache. 

It didn’t help that the weird alpha in room 6 was causing problems with the nurses. 

Or actually,  _ wasn’t  _ causing problems, maybe. 

The door to said room clicked shut and Dean looked over despite himself. Lisa was making a note on the chart, blushing a little and grinning. She looked over, caught Dean staring. 

“He’s a real charmer, isn’t he?” she asked. Dean scowled. 

“It’s his job,” he muttered, probably too low for Lisa to hear. She was a beta, but from what he’d heard, that didn’t seem to deter Castiel any. At this point, Dean wouldn’t be surprised if Castiel was pursuing the  _ alphas. _

They were professionals, of course. An alpha coming off a feral rut couldn’t consent and in any case, they were at  _ work.  _ So, Dean wasn’t worried about his coworkers. 

Well. 

_ Most _ of his coworkers. 

He glanced back to the door, trying not to imagine the alpha on the other side. Castiel had agreed to put on pants, but that was about it. Last check-in, he’d been sitting cross-legged on the bed, talking to the beta nurse in low, dulcet tones, more or less ignoring Dean completely. 

“Go home, Dean” Benny told him. “He’ll still be here in the morning.” 

_ For the next two weeks, _ Dean’s mind helpfully informed him, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“Does he smell…  _ off _ to you?” Dean asked, trying and failing to make the question sound casual. Benny shrugged. 

“Yeah, a little.”

Dean grabbed onto it like a lifeline. 

“Like how? What’s different?” 

“He smells kinda… fake. Like plastic or some kinda chemical. I figure it’s the fake hormones.” 

Dean scowled, looking away before Benny could see his expression. He’d smelled that, too, but there was something else, too. Something that smelled like baking and sunshine. 

Whatever the fuck  _ that  _ meant. 

He rubbed his eyes. He needed sleep. 

 

~~~

 

Four hours later he was on hold with the local PD, waiting for the clerk to come back with a report. 

The line picked up with a click. 

“Got it!” the woman told him cheerfully. “Looks like there was a report filed this morning regarding a Castiel Novak. The person filing the report wished to remain anonymous, and it was granted because they filed it on his behalf instead of against him.” 

“On his behalf?” Dean repeated dumbly. 

“Yes. Evidently this person was a regular… client of Castiel’s, and his agency was in the practice of informing them when Castiel went into a rut. They became suspicious after receiving six such reports in the course of four months. After the incident yesterday they made a formal request for a welfare check.”

“Did they say why they felt it warranted a welfare check? Lots of sex workers abuse hormone additives.” 

“According to the client, they approached Castiel about the habit and he denied using them. He also seemed unsure of how much time had passed since the last visit. The client raised concerns to the agency, and were told it was being looked into. Yesterday, the client says they received the fourth rut announcement this month and went down to insist that he see a doctor. That’s when the incident took place.”

Dean said nothing. He doodled on a piece of scrap paper, trying to process this info. 

“I don’t suppose you have a name or address for the agency?” he asked at last. 

“Not that I can share, sir. But we’ve sent a couple officers over to investigate. They’re going to speak with the other alphas and get back to us.” 

Dean nodded, realized the woman couldn’t see him, and verbalized a thank-you instead. 

He hung up the phone and kept doodling, thinking. 

Somewhere out there, Castiel was propositioning someone. Probably Becky. 

Which… again. The guy was a sex worker. He probably got more action in a week than Dean had seen in his life. And Dean had been going through his life happily oblivious of this fact until just today. 

There was no reason for it to bother him. 

He was just tired, that’s all. 

Tired and horny. He had the weekend off, maybe he’d go find an alpha of his own to take some of the edge off. 

 

~~~~~

 

To make a long story short, he didn’t do that. 

Dean’s weekend was long and boring and devoid of any alpha interaction whatsoever. He didn’t hire one, he didn’t pick one up, and he didn’t swing by the hospital to see how his patient was doing. 

He thought about it. Thought about it a couple times, actually. Pretty much every time he had a meal, he looked at it and wondered if Castiel would like it. This wasn’t a romantic musing. 

Well. Not a  _ completely _ romantic musing. 

Dean rubbed his eyes.

Castiel was coming down from his rut, and the lower he got, the more obvious the damage to his body became. Dean didn’t think he was in danger of going feral again. He didn’t have the energy. 

Castiel’s  _ singular _ goal, was to find a mate. Someone. Anyone. Omega. Beta. Mated. Unmated. Old. Young. Didn’t matter. Castiel offered himself to anyone who went into his room without scent blockers. 

Which is to say, everyone except Dean. 

 

~~~~~

 

“I’ll be here, beautiful,” Castiel was saying as Dean entered his room. A brunette beta was just leaving, rolling her eyes at Dean as she passed. 

She shut the door behind her, leaving the two of them alone. 

Castiel was sitting cross-legged on the end of the bed, still giving the closed door a cheshire grin. 

“Visitor?” Dean asked, trying to sound nonchalant. Castiel shook his head. 

“Lunch lady.” He jerked a thumb at the plastic tray still sitting on the table beside the bed. “You want the pudding? I’m not gonna eat it.” 

“Yes, you are,” Dean sighed, checking the clipboard at the end of the bed. “You’re not gonna get better unless you eat.” 

Castiel flopped back, staring at the ceiling. 

“I don’t want it.”

Dean hesitated. 

“You’re down three pounds since you got here. The next step is nasogastric intubation and trust me, you don’t want that any more than I want to do it.” 

Castiel kept his gaze on the ceiling, crossing his arms beneath his head. 

“What’s that, like force-feeding?” 

“We try not to use that term, but basically. It means you get fed through a tube up your nose. It’s really uncomfortable. I suggest you eat your pudding.” 

Dean picked up the container and held it out to Castiel. The alpha took it without looking. 

“Can’t be worse than getting a needle in my dick, though, right?” 

Dean coughed a little. 

“I wouldn’t know, I’ve never had… I don’t....”

The door opened again and someone else came in, an omega nurse who headed straight for the banana bag without making eye contact. 

Castiel sat up instantly, pudding discarded. 

“Welcome back,” he purred.

The omega looked over and gave Cas a little grin, but for the most part, stayed focused on his task. 

“You changed your hair,” Cas remarked. He turned onto his side, stretching languidly across the plain sheets. “I like it.” 

Dean rolled his eyes. 

 

~~~

 

It was a full day before Dean managed to rationalize another visit and when he did, Becky was sitting on the edge of Cas’s bed, her eyes nearly rolling up as his fingers massaged her shoulders. 

_ “Out!” _ he barked, keeping his eyes on Cas as the flustered woman gathered herself and darted from the room. Cas scowled at him. 

“I’m an adult, Doctor, I don’t need you protecting my innocence.” 

He shifted and Dean caught the scent of arousal even before noticing the distinctive bulge in the front of his scrubs. 

Which- where did he even get- ?

Dean shook his head. Nevermind. 

“You’re coming off a feral rut and you’ve been dosed with an unknown hormone so actually yes; I have a professional obligation to keep you unmolested.” 

Cas snorted, rolling his eyes. Dean checked his chart. 

“You’re still not eating.” 

“Still not hungry,” Cas answered, rolling his shoulders. 

Dean picked a fruit cup off the untouched tray. 

“Remember what I said about the feeding tube?” 

Cas shrugged, despondent. Dean sighed. 

“Have the police been in to talk to you?” 

Castiel frowned. 

“No, why?” 

Dean hesitated. He was a doctor, not a cop. It was his job to fix Castiel’s body, not probe into his home life. 

Such as it was. 

“Is Amanda pressing charges?” Cas asked dully. 

“No! No, she made a report on your behalf- she wants the rutt- she wants your workplace investigated in a possible poisoning case.” 

“Cuz of the alphesterone,” Cas realized, nodding. If he noticed Dean’s slip into colloquial, he didn’t comment. “She thinks they’re giving it to me.” 

“She says she tried to talk to you about it a couple weeks ago,” Dean confirmed, watching Castiel’s face. The alpha didn’t change. 

“I don’t remember,” Castiel said finally. 

“She said that’s what you said last time.” 

Castiel shrugged. 

“Makes sense. I get the most clients during a rut. Cutting the time between them just makes me a more valuable asset.” 

“It’s also killing you,” Dean emphasized. Cas shrugged. HIs scent didn’t change, and Dean gaped at him. The anger Castiel had felt when he first learned about the drugs…. It was gone. There was nothing there now but tired resignation. 

He wasn’t faking. 

He genuinely didn’t care. 

Dean stepped closer to the bed, telling himself that there was a reason other than getting a better scent off the alpha. Cas didn’t look at him. He picked absently at the tape securing his IV. 

“Castiel. This matters. Please.”

“Why?” 

Dean left the fruit cup on the bed beside the alpha, and went to schedule a psych evaluation. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm writing, I'm writing, I swear..... 
> 
> I got to see the smol bean's face this week. That was fun. She's kinda weird looking and she was trying to suck her thumb but she had really bad aim. We're hoping she'll have other talents. 
> 
> I'm still putting chapters of 365 together. It's involved. I know it's been a month. I am posting this from the shame hole. 
> 
> I got distracted writing an app for google docs that will analyze a document for grammatically fucked sentences that technically follow grammar rules. It finds glue words, basically, but it's got feature creep so there's really no way to tell what it'll do once it's officially released. 
> 
> I wrote it to help me proofread 'any price' and as a result I have proofread zero words of 'any price' since I started writing it. Hooray. 
> 
> Anyway here's another chapter about depressed, apathetic characters refusing to eat their fruit cups. Cuz of how much ya'll like 365.


	5. Chapter 5

Castiel swallowed, wincing at the unfamiliar feeling of plastic sliding through his sinuses. 

“This is definitely a new one,” he remarked when the nurse had finished taping the tube off.

Before this, he would have assumed that he’d been penetrated in every way an alpha possibly could, but no; new possibilities were everywhere, it seemed. 

The nurse (an alpha, they did this intentionally he supposed,) checked the feed and stepped back. Cas raised his hand to touch the tape, but thought better of it and let it drop back onto the coverlet.  

“It’ll stay in for three days and then you can try solid food again,” the doctor told him. The scentless one. Castiel ignored him. The omega standing beside him was much more interesting. Cas grinned at her, the tape pulling at his skin. She didn’t respond. 

“I’d like to talk to you a while, Castiel,” she said, looking at him over her glasses. 

“What a coincidence,” he responded. “Make yourself at home.” 

He patted the bed beside him, but she made no move to come closer. 

“Do you mind having Doctor Winchester join us for this interview?” 

Castiel shrugged. 

“If he wants.” 

Ever since the incident with Becky, Castiel had been receiving very few unsupervised guests. He did not expect these circumstances to change. 

“Do you want to know what happened back in the hallway?” he asked, looking up at the omega. 

“Partly. But mostly, I want to talk about how you feel right now.” 

“Not great,” Cas said, nudging at the tube. “You ever had one of these? It’s gonna be itchy, I can already tell.” 

“And yet you still won’t eat,” the omega said. Castiel opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He glanced to the scentless doctor. 

“I…” he trailed off. How could he explain? 

“Can you tell us the last time you were hungry, Cas?” the doctor asked. Castiel frowned. 

When he’d first started taking on clients, the agency had watched him very closely. They made sure he ate right and got enough sleep and exercised regularly and stayed off drugs. They wanted him alert and attractive and healthy and since they paid for his room and board and medical care, he’d never argued. 

He remembered at  _ first _ he’d finish a workout and be absolutely famished. He didn’t lose weight- he got toned, not thin. The way omegas tended to like. 

But he didn’t get hungry like that, not any more. It was just because it was getting easier to exercise, he thought. He was getting used to the exertion but… when? When had that happened? 

“I don’t know,” he said at last. “A long time.” 

“Do you think that you’ll be able to eat anything after the tube is removed?” 

Cas didn’t even need to think about it. He shook his head. 

“I can’t,” he tried to explain, but even inside his own head, his feelings made no sense. “I can’t eat it. It’s not… mine,” he finished lamely. He expected a pair of blank stares, but the woman was nodding. 

“You need to make sure your mate is cared for,” she said, and suddenly everything made sense. Cas nodded vigorously, grinning again.

“Yes! Exactly. Yes. Thank you.” 

“Castiel,” the doctor said hesitantly, “you don’t  _ have _ a mate. You have to take care of yourself, first.”

“Why?” Cas asked, turning to look at him. The doc wasn’t  _ wrong-  _ if Castiel didn’t start eating and drinking and sleeping… he’d die. He knew that. 

He just didn’t understand why it  _ mattered. _

The doc was staring at him, open-mouthed. 

“Because there’s no reason for you to die like this!” the doctor sputtered. 

“No reason to live, either,” Cas answered, looking back to the omega. “I could take care of  _ you _ , you know. Be anything you want.” 

“No thank you,” the omega answered. She was writing on her clipboard. Castiel suspected the plastic tube taped to his cheek might be affecting his chances here. He didn’t care. 

“I’d be good for someone,” he insisted. She didn’t look up. “I’d be a good alpha.” 

“I don’t doubt it,” the omega said. “But you’ve gotta survive this, first.” 

She gave the doctor a pointed glance and retreated from the room. Castiel watched her go, a hint of desperation coloring his thoughts. 

“I  _ would! _ ” he shouted, but the door had already closed behind her. 

He slumped back into the mattress, tears gathering in his eyes. He wiped them away quickly, remembering the other man. 

“You’d lose your career,” the doctor observed. “Most omegas wouldn’t be happy letting their alpha spend ruts at work.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” Castiel grumbled.  _ Someone _ would have use for him- it didn’t matter who. In any case, he was probably fired by now, anyway. 

The doctor shifted uncomfortably. 

“Don’t you… I mean, you like it though, right? Your job?”

“No,” Castiel answered. “My clients have needs and desires that need to be fulfilled authentically. I’m able to offer them a facsimile- the closest thing to real that there is- but it’s still not enough for them. Not really.” 

“So then…” the doctor paused. “Why do it?” 

“Because a facsimile is better than nothing, and because I’m in a position to offer, and because it’s a job. One I’m good at.”

Castiel didn’t miss the way the doctor’s face flushed a little at that last sentence. He didn’t approve of Castiel’s work. That was fine. Lots of people didn’t. 

“I could still be loyal,” Cas said, turning his head a little. “I would do anything for my mate. Whatever they asked.” 

“What… what do you think they’d ask for?” the other man asked, and Castiel thought he detected a hint of tightness in the good doctor’s voice. He gave the man a rakish grin.

“What most of them ask for. A strong alpha to pin and claim them. I can make it go on for hours, giving each centimeter of flesh exactly the attention it deserves, worshiping their body until I reach their hole-” 

The doctor made a strangled sound but Castiel didn’t care. He was used to shocking people. 

“I’d tease and lick and finger them until they were begging and then I’d fill them with my knot. Slowly. Bit by bit as they squirmed beneath me, trying to force me deeper. But I’m stronger, and I take my time.”

Castiel closed his eyes, remembering the sounds and the faces of the people he’d pleasured. He didn’t usually reach climax with them, but this was his fantasy, not theirs. 

“I’d have them on top when we tied,” he decided, picturing it. “So I could run my fingers up their spine, comb through their hair while we came down. I’d rock my knot into them and see if I could get them off again while we were trapped there. They’d lean back, take their weight on their hands, and I’d play with their clit or their cock until they came…”

He trailed off, thinking. The doctor still said nothing. Most people would have left the room in disgust by now. He wasn’t sure how to end this fantasy, exactly. This is where the omegas in his life usually left. 

“We’d have pictures,” he said suddenly. “Wherever we lived, there would be photos, on the wall. Of us.” 

“Kinky,” the doctor remarked, but Castiel shook his head. 

“Not like that. Pictures of the things we did. Places we went, I guess.” 

Castiel rubbed his face, scratching at the tape. His throat was starting to hurt. He wished the omega with the clipboard would come back. He felt an itching beneath his skin, pushing him to leave the bed and go out in search of… anyone, really. 

He had an idea, maybe, of what his truemate would be like. Or he’d had an idea once. 

He knew he couldn’t be choosy now. Maybe once, but that time was long past. He was used up, damaged goods. He’d be lucky to find any kind of mate, he knew that. More likely, he’d be spending the rest of his life with this itch beneath his skin. 

“That’s what omegas want, you think?” the doctor asked, and Castiel gave him a little smile, shrugging. 

“In my experience,” he said. 

The doctor nodded, and he left a little while after that. He had other patients, after all. 

Castiel shifted, trying to ease the discomfort growing in his body.     

 

~~~~~~~

 

“We’ve been able to positively identify the substance in your blood,” the omega told him. The one with the clipboard and the glasses. Her name was Caroline. Castiel tried to hold onto the name, but all he could focus on was the scent of her, beneath her perfume. 

Her shirt collar was high, he couldn’t see whether she had a mark. If he did, he was sure he could do one better. 

“Castiel, do you understand what I’m telling you?” 

“You know what’s wrong with me,” Castiel confirmed, nodding. He sat up, leaning closer to the woman sitting beside his bed. “Knew you were smart.” 

“The characteristics of the drug, combined with the amount of time you were exposed, have caused irrevocable damage,” Caroline said, trying to keep her voice gentle. “Several arrests have been made. The other alphas who worked with you are getting care, as well, but none of them were as far along as you.” 

“Always was a trend-setter,” Castiel said absently. He was definitely fired, then. The whole agency was shut down, by the sounds of it.

So much for that. 

“The police will be coming by later, to help you work through the process of pressing charges, but…” the omega hesitated. “Castiel, it’s important to understand that there’s very little chance you’ll be seeing the end of the trial.” 

“Because I’m gonna go feral,” Castiel finished, nodding. 

“Not feral,” the doctor interrupted. Castiel glanced over at him. He had a way of fading into the back of the room. Probably the lack of scent. 

“You aren’t going to be a danger to anyone,” Caroline reassured him. “But you can’t take care of yourself, either.”

Castiel dropped his eyes, his hand raising unconsciously to the tape on his cheek. Five days, they’d been feeding him this way. The doctor said it was working- he was gaining weight again. He still didn’t feel hungry. 

“So I can’t go home,” he realized. There wasn’t much disappointment accompanying the realization. He couldn’t go back to the room he’d occupied at the agency… he supposed he could get an apartment, but the idea didn’t hold much appeal. An empty room was an empty room. 

Caroline was shaking her head. 

“After we’re sure the drugs have cleared your system, you’ll be able to leave here, but no; you aren’t in a position to live independently. The increased ruts have forced your body into a position where it prioritizes your mate over yourself. The desire to claim and protect will supercede all others- since you are unmated and cannot fulfill these base biological needs, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be able to keep yourself healthy and safe.” 

The omega’s scent was tinged with sadness. Castiel tried to give her a smile, but his heart wasn’t in it. She didn’t want him. 

It made sense. 

She gave him some pamphlets, assisted care facilities with bright photos of smiling people on the cover. She really believed in the facilities, that much was clear. Castiel didn’t care one way or another. 

He didn’t plan on spending the rest of his life pining for a mate he’d never find. And if that was his only option… 

Caroline must have noticed the change in his scent, because she leaned forward and let her hand rest on his upper arm. 

“It may not be forever, Castiel. There’s therapy, and medications are being invented all the time. You can still maintain a good portion of your autonomy.”

Castiel nodded, looking at the pamphlets without really caring. Caroline glanced to the doctor, the two of them having a silent conversation that Castiel made no effort to interpret. 

After that, it didn’t take them too long to figure out that Castiel wasn’t going to make a fuss about his diagnosis. He needed time to process, they figured. 

Caroline made her excuses and left, leaving Castiel once again alone with the scentless doctor.  

“I’m starting to think you might be a figment of my imagination,” Castiel told him, still looking down at the bright pamphlets. 

The doctor blinked. 

“What?” 

“Ever since I got here, everything important, you’re just there in the corner, reacting. So I’m wondering if I imagined you. To keep me company through all this.” 

The doctor let out an incredulous little laugh, but shook his head. 

“Wouldn’t you have imagined someone better looking?” 

Castiel raised an eyebrow, turning to look at the man. He was tall, taller than Castiel, and once Cas really  _ looked…. _

“I’d have a hard time,” he said slowly. The doctor opened his mouth to say something, but then quickly blushed and looked away. 

“That’s why you don’t have a scent,” Cas pressed. “Because you’re not really there.” 

“Don’t tell me you’ve never heard of blockers,” the doctor laughed, shaking his head. Cas nodded, grinning. 

“A clever excuse. Exactly what a hallucination would say.” 

He paused, considering the pamphlets in his hands. 

“I guess I know how to tell for sure. If you follow me from here, I’ll know I made you up.” 

The doc had nothing to say to that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm super in the groove for this one. It is flowing. Here we go. 
> 
> I think there's gonna be two more chapters after this. Maybe three.


	6. Chapter 6

Dean stared at the little red pill, sitting innocently on the counter. 

He’d been taking them for… hell,  _ years _ now. Since he got into med school. He’d never considered stopping, not even once. 

Not until now. 

He closed his eyes, trying to see something other than the lethargic alpha he’d left the night before. Something other than Castiel Novak and his dry humor and his stupid blue eyes. 

Dean sighed, picked up the pill, and dropped it back into the bottle.  

 

~~~ 

 

“Welcome back, Tyler.” 

“I’m not imaginary,” Dean insisted. Castiel shrugged. He was shirtless, as usual, and he’d managed to scavenge another pair of scrubs from somewhere. Fuschia. 

Dean had suspicions. 

“I wanted to talk to you about something, Castiel. Something important.” 

The alpha nodded gravely. 

“Let me guess: the nurses are demons and we have to kill them before they kill us?”

“Do you take anything seriously?” 

“Depends,” Castiel said, pulling his knees to his chest. “Do I have to cut one of my ears off?” 

“I’m not  _ imaginary, _ ” Dean growled. Castiel laughed. 

“Alright, doc. What have you got for me? More bad news about my eternally deteriorating mental condition?” 

“No,” Dean sighed. He pulled the visitor’s chair closer to the bed, sitting down. “First off, I want you to know that I’m no longer the doctor assigned to you. So your decision here isn’t going to affect your treatment or quality of care.” 

The alpha was paying attention now, staring at Dean with a fixed expression. 

“I don’t…” Dean started, but he trailed off, thinking. Like he hadn’t been practicing this conversation in the shower for the last week. “You probably haven’t noticed, but I’m an omega. And I don’t… I’m not mated.”

He pulled his shirt collar over, exposing the unbroken skin where his shoulder met his throat. 

Castiel frowned. 

“And you want, what?” 

Dean felt his face turning red. He dropped his gaze and then realized that there wasn’t any part of Castiel where he could look and not blush. 

“I- look, this is totally up to you, okay? Feel free to say no. But you’ll recover faster if you’re mated and I, uh… I wanted to offer my… uh… services. I guess.” 

Castiel nodded. 

“I wouldn’t make much of a trophy alpha. Kinda let myself go lately.”

He raised his hand to his cheek, but the tube had been removed several days ago, when his weight had reached a stable minimum. 

The alpha kept his eyes on the bedspread. Dean wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted Castiel to come live with him because he wanted his entire apartment to smell like this room? That despite all the odds, he was pretty sure the two of them were truemates? 

Yeah. That’s a totally normal thing to say. 

“There are better alphas than me for this, you know,” Castiel said quietly. “A lot of people in my line of work end up in an arrangement like you’re describing. You don’t have to lower your standards this far.” 

“I’m not lowering anything,” Dean protested. Castiel’s mouth quirked, but he said nothing. “I know we met really recently, but… I like you.” 

“I won’t be any good to you unless it’s real.” 

Dean frowned. 

“What do you mean, real?” 

Cas glanced up at him. 

“Most of these arrangements, it’s just economics. We get room and board and you have an escort at your beck and call. It’s simple for everyone but there’s no bond. There’s no marks. Caroline says…”

He trailed off. 

“You need an actual mate,” Dean finished. He felt like he should do something reassuring, like put his hand on Cas’s shoulder or sit next to him on the bed or something, but he had no idea the physical protocols for a situation like this so he just sat still. “I know.” 

Cas glanced up.

“You’re okay with that?” 

“If you are.” 

Castiel stared at his hands.  

 

~~~~~

 

Dean watched the elevator LEDs and tried not to babble. 

“So we’re on fourteen and I’ve got an extra key, I should have brought it today but I didn’t think of it, but I’ll get it to you once we’re inside.”

“Good, I was beginning to think you planned to keep me chained to the bed.” 

Dean glanced over at the alpha, startled, but Cas was giving him a small grin.

It was hard to tell, sometimes, whether he was kidding. 

So far, Dean had told Castiel about the subway, the apartment block, the doorman, the desk clerk, the elevator, and the apartment. It wasn’t that he thought Cas was dumb- far from it.

He just wanted to reassure the alpha that everything was taken care of. 

That this wasn’t a huge mistake. 

The elevator stopped and Dean led the way to his apartment, holding the door open for Cas. 

“You want me to carry you across the doorstep?” the alpha asked, and Dean blushed. 

Cas had a duffel bag. That was it. 

Most of the things he’d used before were actually the property of his employer, which meant he was moving into Dean’s place with a week’s worth of clothes and very little else. 

The duffel bag was deposited unceremoniously inside the door, while Cas kicked his sneakers off. Dean sat on the bench, carefully untying his shoes. When he looked up, Cas was standing in the entryway, looking around approvingly. He took in the television and the books and the kitchenette, the paperwork strewn across the study, the doors leading off to the bedroom and the bathroom.

“Nice,” he determined, then turned around, shrugging out of his coat. “Where do you want me?” 

Dean felt his shoulders tense. 

“What?” 

Cas rolled his shoulders and looked around. 

“Bedrooms are popular, but it’s up to you, really.” 

Dean felt himself blushing again, the idea of Castiel fucking him over the kitchen table suddenly occupying all of his mental circuits. 

“Don’t- don’t you want to give it a few days?”

Cas looked confused. He picked at the hem of his shirt like he wasn’t sure whether he should be wearing it. 

“Isn’t that what I’m here for?” 

“Well… kinda, but…” Dean glanced over to the kitchen counter, the little orange bottle full of little red pills. “I’m still on the suppressants. I don’t smell like anything yet, right?” 

Castiel stepped closer and Dean froze, feeling the heat coming off the other man’s body. Cas leaned in, nearly touching him as he scented Dean’s throat. 

“Still nothing,” the alpha confirmed, stepping back. Dean exhaled, trying not to grab Cas and drag him back in closer. 

“So don’t you need to wait until I’m a little more… appealing?”

Castiel’s grin went straight to his dick and Dean shifted, trying not to be obvious about it. 

“I think I can manage.” 

 

~~~~

 

The first time was in the bedroom, after all. 

Cas sat on the bed, watching as Dean assembled his kit on the bedside table. He’d put it together about four days before approaching Castiel about this arrangement (he refused to call it a proposal, no matter how accurate the phrase may have been) and had sat staring at it for about three hours while imagining all the ways that Cas might shoot him down. 

There were latex bandages, sterile gauze, rubbing alcohol, antibacterial mouthwash, butterfly sutures… the list went on. Cas raised an eyebrow. 

“You set this up for all your dates?” 

Dean shook his head. 

“Just the ones planning to bite me. I work in the ER, I’ve seen what happens when this goes wrong.” 

Cas rolled onto his belly, curling against the sheets. 

“Keep talking, doc, I’m gettin’ all feisty.” 

Dean snorted. 

“Sexual safety is important, Cas.” 

The alpha nodded. 

“Yeah, they taught us that at the agency, but it was less rubbing alcohol and more rolling a condom on with my mouth.” He grinned. “Wanna see?” 

Dean forgot what he was doing, the image of Castiel’s mouth wrapped around the head of his cock suddenly the only thing he could think of. He stared at the bandages in his hands, confused about what they were doing there. 

Cas laughed and rolled onto his back, reaching up for Dean. 

“How ‘bout you leave that for later. Come let me take care of you.” 

There was a slight undercurrent of alpha in his voice. It wasn’t enough that Dean  _ couldn’t _ resist… but it sure made him not want to. He set the bandages down, and went to kneel on the bed. 

Cas grabbed him by the tie, pulling him down into an easy kiss. 

“Relax, doc. I’ve got you.” 

Dean was too nervous to really enjoy it. Castiel did his best, and he smelled like  _ heaven, _ but one of the great ironies of omega biology is that it doesn’t work right when you’re worried it isn’t going to work right. 

Cas flipped them over, covering Dean’s body with his, and Dean buried his face in the hollow of Cas’s shoulder, breathing in his scent like a drug. He was well aware that he still smelled like nothing, and that Cas was doing all this via professional rote rather than any kind of actual attraction. 

Dean wasn’t a virgin, but he’d also never cared what his partners thought of his skills. 

Such as they were. 

If Cas was disappointed, he didn’t let it show. He worked his way down Dean’s body, tonguing his flagging erection and fingering him carefully. Dean didn’t make it easy on him- he couldn’t relax, couldn’t get wet the way he knew he should. Probably a lingering effect of the suppressants, but that didn’t make it any less embarrassing.  

He let Castiel work at him for a couple minutes before apologizing and gesturing to the bedside cabinet. 

“There’s, um, there’s lube in there. That might be… useful. Sorry.” 

“You’re not the first omega to get performance anxiety on me, doc.” 

Cas pressed a kiss to the inside of Dean’s thigh, nipping a little when Dean gasped.  

“I’m in no hurry.” 

Dean’s fingers tightened in the sheets, and he resisted the urge to squirm under Castiel’s touch. The alpha pushed his thighs wider, raising Dean’s knees so he could lick at the flat place just below Dean’s cock. His mouth was hot and wet and messy and Dean could feel spit-slick fingers probing at his entrance. 

And fuck, he  _ wanted _ it, he wanted Cas to fill him up and knot him and hold him there till the alpha-scent was worked into his skin forever. 

He reached down, running his hands through Cas’s hair and over his shoulders, realizing he’d never touched the man there before. His fingertips lingered at the junction of Cas’s shoulder, imagining his mark there, and suddenly he wasn’t nervous any more. 

His body relaxed and opened, slick coating Castiel’s fingers where they twisted inside him. Cas made a contented noise, not taking his mouth off Dean’s cock to do it. Dean tugged at his shoulder. 

“Cas. C’mere. I want it.” 

“I know you do,” Cas said, in between small bites along Dean’s iliac crest. “I’m gonna give it to you.” 

Dean whined, rolling his hips, almost freezing again when he realized how fucking  _ pathetic  _ he was being. 

If Cas minded, he didn’t let on. He settled between Dean’s thighs, stroking his hands down Dean’s chest and sides, nibbling at Dean’s throat. 

“Right here,” he murmured. “This is where I’m gonna do it.” 

Dean shivered, imagining Cas’s teeth digging into his skin. 

“Not yet,” he said, but he didn’t think it was in him to protest if Cas decided to go for it anyway. 

Fortunately, Castiel listened to him and kept the bites light and teasing. 

Dean hooked his ankles under Cas’s thighs, pulling him closer. The head of his cock nudged against Dean’s opening, slipping along the skin. Dean whimpered, digging his fingers into Cas’s shoulders and trying in vain to pull him closer. 

“Slow down, doc, I gotcha.” 

Cas pushed into him a millimeter at a time, letting Dean adjust to the size of him. His knot was already beginning to swell, and Dean whimpered when the widened shaft caught against his rim. He clung to Castiel, breathing in the scent of him, letting his body do what it needed. 

It wasn’t until the alpha was buried inside him that he realized he was holding his breath, his arms locked tight around Cas’s shoulders, his eyes closed. 

He cracked them open, looking up at Castiel. The alpha was smiling down at him, and for a moment, Dean could believe there was genuine affection there. He smiled back and leaned up, pressing his lips to Cas’s. 

The alpha responded by rocking down into him, letting the knot drag along Dean’s channel. Dean tightened, trying to hold it inside, but he wasn’t that strong and Cas drew out, slow and teasing. 

“ _ Faster, _ ” Dean groaned, and Cas jerked his hips forward, just once, forcing his knot inside. Dean whined, rolling up into it, taking him deeper. The swollen base of Cas’s knot pulled back against him, again and again. 

He wasn’t imagining it. Cas smelled like actual arousal, the heady scents bringing Dean back to the day Cas had first come through his door. 

His eyes flew open, but Cas wasn’t looking at him any more. His eyes were closed and his brow was furrowed. He looked like he was concentrating, really hard. 

The scent peaked and Dean realized that Cas was  _ close _ which was... stupid, they’d been going for like, two minutes, but- 

Dean leaned up, biting at Cas’s shoulder and Cas groaned. He tried pulling back out but it was too late. 

Now it was Castiel’s turn to blush. Dean was grinning up at him, but Cas wouldn’t meet his eyes. 

“That usually…” Cas started, but Dean leaned up to kiss him quiet. 

“It’s the meds,” Dean lied. Cas nodded, accepting it without argument. 

“You bit me,” he said instead, leaning his head to the side. There was a small red mark, but the skin was unbroken. Dean’s stomach fluttered when he saw it. 

“Yeah. Well.”

“You wanna…?” 

Dean glanced over at the bedside table. The gauze and the alcohol. He licked his lips. 

“Yeah.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've never done "marriage of convenience" before. Eventually I think I'll write every trope that exists. 
> 
> Also! I found the other fic that I was thinking of when I started writing this one. [What you paid for.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2088768/chapters/4546020)
> 
> It's very good. If you're interested in another universe where the omegas are the dominant gender and the alphas are dumb brutes that think with their dicks, that's a good one. 
> 
> I think one more chapter of this. GertieCraign says I'm not allowed to look at January prompts until I fill 10% of the prompts I've already got lined up. She is *so* mean to me. 
> 
>  
> 
> Next chapter is Cas's POV, I'm gonna do one of those scenes where he stares at himself in the mirror and contemplates his sex life. I love that trope. [I do I do I do.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lTBUDBq8xw)


	7. Chapter 7

Castiel burrowed deeper into the covers. His omega shifted, minutely, and he compensated by pulling the man closer. 

The mating mark on his shoulder stung, and he considered going for the ibuprofin on the nightstand. After a moment of consideration he found no way to retrieve it without letting go, and so the plan was discarded. 

Gently, he scented along the nape of the omega’s neck, nuzzling at the short hairs there. There still wasn’t much to be found, though the day before, he thought he smelled…

Cas pushed the thought away, disgusted with himself. He wasn’t holding up his half of this bargain, if that’s what his performance was going to be like. 

He pressed a line of kisses along the edge of the bandage, where he’d made his mark the night before. 

_ Dean, _ he thought.  _ Dean Winchester. _

His mate. 

He could feel the idea settling contentedly in the pit of his belly, where he’d grown used to feeling nothing but a clawing absence. 

His  _ mate _ . 

Something had clearly gone wrong the day before. Dean had been nervous from the moment they’d left the hospital. He was nervous about the commute and the building and, hilariously, what Castiel thought of his apartment. 

Cas, who previously lived in two rooms designated ‘sleeping’ and ‘fucking.’ And Dean thought he was gonna get prissy about  _ this _ place. 

Normally, Cas could get rid of the pre-sex jitters by… well, by getting on with the sex, honestly. That hadn’t worked this time. Despite his best efforts, Dean had stayed tense… almost  _ frightened.  _

Cas wondered if maybe something had happened to Dean. Some bad experience with alphas that would explain how such a kind, interesting omega had gone this long without being mated. And why he’d jump at the chance to snag a burned-out hooker when he could so  _ clearly  _ do better. 

Dean shifted against him, settling in his sleep, and for a second Cas thought there might have been a scent. It was the same scent he’d picked up the night before… and just like the night before, it was turning him on. 

A  _ lot. _

Cas didn’t need to be attracted to his partners. He could get the job done under… adverse conditions. Dean  _ was _ attractive, but that didn’t explain this. This… this was unprecedented.  

Cas pulled him closer, chasing the scent, but it was gone. Dean grumbled. 

“What time is it?” 

Cas looked around for a clock, eventually finding the red read-out in the dark. 

“A little after six.”

“Mmm… I should get up.” 

“Morning person, huh?” 

Dean shuffled his weight around, turning to look at Cas in the darkness. 

“I’m afraid if I don’t get up now, the whole day’s gonna be shot.” 

Cas frowned, puzzled, and then realized that he could scent arousal from the other man. He growled lightly, leaning in for a kiss. 

“The suppressants are wearing off,” he reported. “No point being coy, doc.” 

He couldn’t see in the dark, but he would have bet money that Dean was blushing again. 

“You don’t… do you mind?” 

Cas answered by rolling his hips down against Dean’s thigh. 

“Do I feel like I mind?” 

 

~~~

 

Cas made breakfast while Dean took a shower. He wasn’t a  _ great  _ cook, but he could get the basics done. Even if he’d had no experience at all, he’d have figured it out today, because he was  _ starving.  _

Dean raised an eyebrow when he got out of the shower and surveyed the spread. Eggs, sausage, toast, coffee, orange juice…. 

“This looks like the ‘balanced breakfast’ spread they use to offset the sugar-o’s,” he observed. 

“I’ll eat it if you don’t,” Cas answered, catching a bagel as it popped out of the toaster. 

“I guess that means it worked,” Dean remarked, picking a piece of sausage straight off the platter. 

“They’re still hot,” Cas noted. 

“I ‘ee ‘at,” Dean answered, holding it between his teeth and trying not to burn himself. 

Cas passed him a plate and Dean put the unbitten link down, staring at it as though it had betrayed him. After a moment, he turned his attention back to Castiel. 

“So, um, how are you, this morning?”

“Better than I have been. How ‘bout you? Second thoughts yet?” 

Dean shook his head- a little too quickly, Cas thought. There was something the omega wasn’t telling him… though it was too late now. 

The mark on his shoulder smarted, and he could see the matching bandage under Dean’s loose henley. 

Cas watched with a weird sort of contentment as Dean shoveled food onto a plate, cutting everything into tiny pieces to make it cool faster. 

_ My omega, _ he thought stupidly. Then he remembered the day before and suddenly felt sick. 

He wasn’t being a good alpha. Not like Dean was probably expecting. He’d been better this morning but still… 

“Do you… want anything?” he asked at last. Dean looked up at him, puzzled at the vague question. 

“Like what?” Dean asked, and Cas looked away, trying to figure out how to explain. Dean was attractive, he had a good job, he wasn’t a hoarder, and he’d picked a mate off the absolute bottom rung of society. Dean had  _ literally _ saved his life. 

“I keep expecting you to ask for something weird,” Cas admitted at last. “Like something no one else will do, which would explain why you picked me.” 

Dean put his fork down. 

“Weird like what?” he asked slowly. 

Cas hesitated. He’d been asked for some weird stuff. And he’d heard stories- arrangements other alphas had agreed to, in exchange for full-time employment. 

“I dunno… like, you want me to act like a dog or wear a cock cage or panties or go to orgies or something.” 

Dean stared at him, silent. 

“It’s not a  _ problem, _ ” Cas emphasised, talking faster now. “You can tell me, whatever it is. I won’t judge. I swear.” 

“How long have you thought that?” 

Cas shrugged. 

“Pretty much since you asked me to come live here. I kinda half-expected you to have a contract or something, honestly.” 

“I’m not…  _ particularly _ interested in any of those things,” Dean answered, and Cas could see him blushing again. 

So there  _ was _ something. 

“You’re gonna think this is really stupid,” the omega said, finally, and Cas nodded. 

“Maybe. Too late now. Hit me.” 

The omega took a deep breath and Cas’s stomach fluttered. It was gonna be diapers or balloons or something. He could tell. 

“I think… I think you might be my truemate,” Dean said, and Cas opened his mouth to say “that’s fine” before the words had actually processed. 

What actually came out was “sorry, what?” 

If anything the doc got redder. 

“I think you’re my truemate,” he stammered, and Cas nodded slowly. 

“That’s… new.” 

“I’m not crazy, I swear,” Dean insisted. “This has never happened before. But the minute the bay doors opened and the paramedics brought you in- before I even  _ saw _ you, I knew. Or, I  _ thought _ . You’re like… you’re like nobody I’ve ever met.” 

“Wow,” Cas murmured, looking down at his bagel. “Sorry, man. Sucks to be you.” 

Dean actually laughed. It was a nervous laughter, but laughter nonetheless. 

“What about you?” Dean insisted. “Do you smell anything yet?”

Cas shook his head. 

“Nothing but sausage and toast, sorry.” 

Dean grimaced. 

“God, I’ve been freaking out. I don’t know what I’m gonna do if my scent comes back and it turns out I was wrong.” 

“I’ll still  _ stay, _ ” Cas insisted. “I’m not going anywhere… I can’t. And in any case, you like  _ my _ scent, so it’s not like it’ll be a pain to keep me around.” 

“That’s not what I meant,” Dean said quickly, and Cas shrugged. 

 

~~~~

 

They spent the weekend together, figuring out each other’s quirks and preferences. Cas went through Dean’s books, and Dean cleaned out half the bureau drawers and slightly less than half the closet. Cas unpacked his duffel bag, which did not take up nearly the space provided. 

They went out to dinner twice. 

Cas was unfamiliar with the neighborhood, so when Dean went back to work, he set about familiarizing himself with the area. 

When Dean got home, there was a painting on the wall. Cas was on the couch, thumbing defensively through a copy of  _ Watership Down. _   
“I liked it, okay?” he said, when Dean had stared at the vibrant hues for more than a minute without speaking. 

“No, it’s cool. Just didn’t peg you for the type.” 

Cas said nothing. He wouldn’t have pegged him for the type either. Somehow it didn’t seem like ‘GED’ and ‘art appreciation’ went together, but nonetheless, there it was. He’d bought a painting and hung it on a wall.  

Dean said nothing about taking it down. Cas was glad. 

 

~~~~~~

 

It was a Wednesday, more than a week after Cas had moved into Dean’s place, when the suppressants finally wore off. 

Dean didn’t notice. He was coming off nine hours in the ER and he was dead to the world, trudging into the bedroom just as the sun was rising.

Cas heard him come in, heard him shuffle out of his work clothes, heard the shower kick on. Almost instantly, steam came rolling out of the open bathroom door, carrying his scent, and Cas was  _ up. _

He was naked before he even reached the door, catching Dean and burying his face against the startled omega’s throat. 

“The fuck  _ is _ that?” he growled, but Dean didn’t answer. Cas didn’t ask again, instead lifting Dean and depositing him roughly on the counter. Dean was wearing nothing but boxers, which Cas quickly divested him of. 

“The shower-” Dean protested, but Cas ignored him, sucking a line up the inside of Dean’s neck. He reached between them, taking both shafts in his hand, stroking them together. Cas could feel the silk-velvet of Dean’s cock riding against his own, and shuddered at the feel. 

“I’m  _ gross, _ ” Dean insisted. Cas let his fingers comb up through the omega’s hair, pulling his head back and kissing him deep. 

“You’re never washing this scent off. Never.” 

“... kinda think my coworkers might complain.” 

“Fuck ‘em,” Cas growled. The room was getting hot, and humid, and he was  _ drowning _ in the scent of omega.  _ His _ omega. 

Dean needed no coaxing this time. Cas sheathed himself in one slow push, both of them whimpering at the feeling. He rocked slow, each thrust forcing a bead or pre-come from the head of Dean’s cock. Cas smeared it across his hand, stroking the other man in time with his own thrusts. 

Dean came first, painting stripes of come across his belly. Cas drew his fingers through it, determined to have that scent on his own skin. Dean whined, his legs tightening around Cas’s hips, and that was it. Cas spilled inside him with a groan, his knot sealing them together. 

Dean panted, letting his head rest against Cas’s unmarked shoulder. Cas turned his head, nuzzling into Dean’s hair. 

“I guess I wasn’t imagining it after all,” Dean murmured, and Cas hummed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't.... I don't like this one. I didn't know how it was gonna go and then everything just kinda... happened.   
> I'm bad at writing 'falling in love.' Like I don't understand how romance works. My seduction technique is to just be awkward at the other person until we're both used to each other's awkwardness, and then we move in together and snuggle until one of us needs to go to work. It... makes for a really boring story but it's the best I've got. 
> 
> I feel like Cas spends a couple weeks getting better and then goes back to being an escort. They both work nonstandard hours and so they end up having dates where they go to a fancy restaurant for dinner at 11AM and spend the whole time telling each other stories about the weird things that happened at work that week. 
> 
> Cas keeps buying art-y things because he's excited to have his own place, even though he really considers it 'Dean's place' until they move into a bigger apartment like two years later. 
> 
> Naomi goes to jail. Cas and a couple of the other alphas buy the business and keep running it, under more ethical management. Cas doesn't live there any more but he does eventually recognize Benny as one of his regulars. The three of them work out an... arrangement. 
> 
> Or maybe not. It's just a feeling.

**Author's Note:**

> *points* 
> 
> look I did a thing


End file.
